Deadly Date
by Jillian Bowes
Summary: High school seniors Axel and Larxene have been friends for years. When the two decided to go on a romantic date for the first time, they did not expect a deadly encounter. Roughly based on true events. Rated T for mild language and violence in later chapters.
1. Asking

It was 3:25pm, and each and every pair of eyes in the classroom was glued to the clock that hung on the wall by the door. The lesson had already come to an end, for the teacher knew that none of the students would be paying any attention to him at this point. They were all busy gathering the day's assignments and putting all of their things into their book-bags. One fiery individual in particular, Axel, was more anxious than any of his peers to get out of the classroom. Why? Because he swore to himself that after school this day, he would ask his best friend Larxene out on a date.

He was almost sweating just thinking about it. The two of them had been best friends for years! They went to elementary school together, and then middle school, and they were now seniors in high school together. It wasn't until this year that the crimson-haired young man realized his true feelings for the beautiful lass. He couldn't help falling for her silky smooth blonde hair; he could write a ten-page essay on her entrancing sea green eyes for goodness' sake! But what if she didn't feel the same way? Would this ruin their friendship forever? What would happen to them both?

He looked 2 rows of desks over at Larxene, only to see that she had already been looking at him. Axel was known for his sense of humor, so he quickly crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her to avoid any awkwardness. She quietly giggled and made the same face right back at him. They laughed silently, and almost in that moment, the bell rang. All the students quickly threw their bags over their shoulders almost in unison and hurried out the door. All the students except for Larxene and Axel, of course. Larxene usually took her sweet time organizing her bag and exiting the classroom, and it wasn't unusual of Axel to wait for her and leave with her. He was so distracted by her beauty that he forgot to zip his bag before leaving, however. As the pair walked through the doorway, Larxene was casually talking to Axel about how peeved she was at some guy who just _had_ to gawk at her as she was walking to her first hour that morning.

However, Axel was only half listening to her. He was mostly trying to think of ways to bring up the date, and ways to _not_ make himself look like an idiot in doing so. While he organizing his thoughts, he realized Larxene was looking at him as if she were waiting for a response.

"Uh, yeah! I totally agree!" he said, hastily.

"You… agree? You think he should ask me out?" she asked, confused.

"What! No, uh… what I meant was—"

She interrupted with, "Axel, were you listening to anything I was saying? I just said that jerk was gawking at me all passing period, and that it looked like he wanted to ask me out on a date or something."

Axel paused. "Well, you got me. I'm sorry, I guess I just kind of zoned out. But c'mon, you know me! This should be expected at the end of the day. So, _no. _I do _not_ think you should go out with that lowlife," Axel paused once more. _This is my chance_, he thought to himself. "I mean… maybe instead you should go out with _this_ lowlife!" he exclaimed with a cheeky grin, both thumbs pointed at himself.

Larxene seemed fairly shocked by this, and she all she could do for the first few seconds after he asked was stare at him. It was almost as if she was waiting for him to yell, "Just kidding!" and go back to a normal conversation. However, that moment never came. After a few moments of silence, Axel's face fell.

"Um. You know what, just forget I said anything," he said quietly, and he turned to walk away. Larxene grabbed his arm before he could get too far away.

"Wait," she said. "You were being serious?"

Axel's face was beet red. Slowly but surely, he nodded, avoiding eye contact.

Larxene then said, "Well, what did you have in mind?"

A huge grin spread across Axel's face as he spoke, "Actually, I was wanting to keep it a surprise! Can I pick you up at 8?"

"Sure," she said smoothly. "Just _don't_ be late." She winked at him and walked out of the building, excited and speechless.

He started in the direction of his locker, moving so quickly his bulky, but professional-looking camera fell out of his bag. _I seriously need to remember to zip this bag,_ he thought to himself as he was picking up the camera. As far as he could tell, it didn't appear to be damaged. His photography teacher would kill him if he lost the images that he had in the camera for his latest project.

Larxene was already in her car and making her way home. She was only just realizing how happy she was that Axel had asked her on a date. She had concealed her feelings for him for quite some time, and now her dreams of their life together were starting to come true!

Things could not be more perfect for the jubilant pair of teenagers. They truly believed that nothing could ruin their happiness. They believed this date was going to be absolutely perfect!

They could not have been more wrong.

**A/N: Hello, Blu Bearry here! Let me just say that this is going to be my first multiple-chapter story, and it is roughly based on true events. Of course, these events didn't happen to me or anyone that I know, but I was still inspired by them, nonetheless. Let it also be known that I generally don't like Axel and Larxene being considered teenagers (since Axel is around age 27 and … I have no idea how old Larxene is), it's just that I felt it would work better for the story if they were in high school. **

**Please read and review! More reviews means quicker updates! **


	2. The Date

As soon as Larxene arrived home, she tossed her bag on the floor in her dark bedroom and began raiding her closet for something pleasant to wear on her first date with Axel.

_It would have been nice if he had at least told me what we were doing, _she thought to herself._ It would certainly help with deciding what to wear…_ Larxene huffed and continued searching. _Oh, sure. Tell me you're gonna take me to dinner and leave the rest a surprise. Brilliant! _

The house was very quiet. Her parents must have still been at work… She would have liked to tell them the news, but she wasn't going to go out of her way to tell them she was going out. They didn't usually keep her under the microscope, so she could go out and return at midnight if she wanted, no questions asked.

Eventually, she decided not to get completely dolled up, just in case they were going to do something crazy like skydiving or something. She hoped with all of her heart that wouldn't be the case, but you can never be too prepared. She went with something simple: a tight, black short-sleeved shirt and dark skinny jeans, along with her old white tennis shoes that she always wore. They could end up going on a hike for all she knew. Once she felt comfortable, she took her cell phone out of her bag and put it in her front pocket. She then walked to the next room over- her bathroom- and examined all of the make-up she had at her disposal.

Of course, she didn't want to seem too eager, but she didn't want to look like she didn't try, either. So, once again going with something simple, she decided on light eye shadow and mascara. She removed the lid from her light-pink lipstick and began to unintentionally distract herself with her own thoughts as she went through the motions of applying the make-up.

_What if this is all some kind of prank? What if he doesn't actually like me that way? Why would he ask me out anyway? We've been friends all this time… We've never been alone together in a romantic setting before… Maybe he'll actually kiss me for the first time…_

Her hands started to shake, and she accidentally smeared lipstick on her face.

"…Shit." As she bent over to get the make-up remover from the bottom drawer, her cell phone slipped out of her pocket and landed face-down on the tile floor. "…Double shit." When she turned it over to check the damages, she found that there was a wide crack going right down the middle of the screen, and the phone refused to turn on.

_Great. What if he tries to call? What if he thinks I chickened out and just started ignoring him?_

_No. Calm yourself. Just call him from the house phone and let him know your phone is broken. But first, fix your little make-up malfunction._

This time, she was able to successfully retrieve the make-up remover from the drawer and get the lipstick off. She decided the lipstick wasn't worth the trouble and strawberry chapstick would be more suitable and convenient. Especially if this date goes as planned. She exited the bathroom and searched for the nearest house phone. After digging through the couch cushions in the living room for a solid three minutes, she located the phone and dialed Axel's number.

_Riiing…_

_Riiing…_

"Come on, Axel, pick up…" she said, exasperated.

_Riiing…_

"_Axel speaking! What can I do ya for?" _Axel said, sounding a tad shaky.

"Hey, it's me, Larxene. I-"

He cut her off saying, "_Oh, Larxene it's you! Thank God. I thought I was gonna get a stern talking-to from your dad or something. Why aren't you calling from your cell phone?_"

"Well, I was just about to tell you, but then you interrupted me," she said with a slight giggle. "I dropped my phone and it is just beyond repair. I thought I would let you know if you needed to talk to me or something before our… date," she said, nearly choking on the words as they came out. She could hardly believe she was saying it!

"_Oh, that's not a problem. In that case, I'll be sure to pick you up right on time, got it memorized?" _he said, clearly unaffected by the small inconvenience.

Larxene felt chills up her spine after hearing his catchphrase that she loved so much. "Yeah, I got it memorized. Thanks, Axel."

"_No problem… Larxene_," he said slowly, a certain sweetness in his voice. They both hung up.

Larxene sighed and returned to her bedroom. She examined herself in her full length mirror. She couldn't say she was completely satisfied, but then again, she was never satisfied with her appearance. All she could do was hope Axel would be.

* * *

She sat down and watched television for the remainder of the time she had left. Before she knew it, her digital clock read **7:58 P.M.** and her stomach nearly flipped over. She had just realized how nervous—yet excited—she was. He was supposed to arrive in two minutes…

Sure enough, Axel's black car pulled up into the driveway exactly two minutes later. He was either really good with time management, or he got really lucky. Axel rang the doorbell and Larxene took a deep breath. She opened the door, and both of their faces lit up when they saw each other.

"Wow," Axel said. "You look... amazing."

Larxene blushed and she said, "You're not so bad yourself." She was honestly confused as to why Axel was so infatuated. Had he always thought she looked amazing? Had he just been waiting for this moment to voice his thoughts?

He lead her to the car with his arm wrapped around her. Larxene was trying to will the butterflies in her stomach away, but she wasn't capable of achieving the impossible. As the wind blew past them, Axel zipped up his dark gray jacket and pulled Larxene closer. After what felt like hours—but was actually a few moments—the pair made it inside the car.

"So," Larxene started, ending the silence between them, "where are we going, exactly?"

"Well, I remember you once told me how much you'd been dying to go to this old Italian joint, but you never had enough money to just blow on pasta or whatever, so I kinda—"

"_You did not!_" Larxene interrupted, shocked but somewhat excited.

"Yeah, I did," he said, winking. "We're going to Othello's. Just don't ask me what I had to go through to get these reservations!"

Larxene chuckled and playfully punched his shoulder. "Axel, you seriously didn't have to do that! That place is way expensive! How do you plan on paying for your meal?"

"_And_ your meal, too. Don't you worry about that. I sold a few of my photographs on the Internet. You'd be surprised how much people would pay for one of my pictures! Not like I'm complainin' or anything," Axel said as they drove along. He noticed a stop sign and had to slam on the brakes just in the nick of time, successfully rattling Larxene's brains and flinging his camera case from the back seat to the front-passenger floor panel.

"Way to watch the road," Larxene said jokingly, tightening her seatbelt and reaching for the camera case. Before Axel could apologize, she said, "What did you bring this for? Gonna do some photography homework on our date or something?"

"C'mon, Larx, I'm an aspiring photographer! I gotta have my camera with me at all times! You're just lucky the tripod didn't fly up here at your head, or we'd be having our date at the hospital," he told her with a laugh.

"Just try not to kill me on the way to the restaurant, okay?"

"You got it."

* * *

Eventually, they both made it too the restaurant unharmed, and they were quickly seated. Larxene marveled at the restaurant's features. The atmosphere was dimly lit, but still pleasant. She made a note to herself not to spill anything on the white table cloth; she imagined it cost a fortune. "Wow, if I had known what the inside of this place looked like, I would have dressed nicer…"

"Ah, don't sweat it Larxene. You look great!" Axel said enthusiastically.

Larxene looked around the restaurant. She wanted to remember it, seeing as she would probably never eat there again. At least not until she had a job that could pay for it. "Axel, you really didn't have to—"

"Yes I did! And I'm happy to do it." He took her hands and said, "You really mean a lot to me. I've wanted to say it for a long time, but I guess I just didn't know how."

Larxene was speechless. No guy had ever said something that sweet to her before. "I… I don't know what to say," she murmured. "But… I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way."

Axel grinned and was about to speak, but their moment was cut short by the waitress asking what they wanted to drink. They both ordered water and opened their menus so they would be prepared to order their food when the waitress came back.

The pair started to talk about little things like school, upcoming projects, music, lame celebrities, photography, and Axel even offered to teach Larxene the art of photography. They were both having the time of their lives, and it seemed as though nothing could ruin it.

The waitress returned. "What would you folks like to order today?" she asked.

"Ah, I'll just have a pepperoni pizza with extra parmesan," Axel said smoothly.

"And you, miss?" she asked Larxene.

"I'd like a Parmigiana chicken Caesar salad with that homemade Italian Vinaigrette dressing," Larxene said without a second of hesitation.

When the waitress left to ready their orders, Axel stared at Larxene, wide-eyed. "My God. You really are the woman of my dreams!" He said, chuckling.

Larxene tilted her head to the side. "Oh? Why's that?"

"You may be the first girl I've ever met that actually _knows_ exactly what she's going to order when the waiter shows up." They both laughed and their dinner date continued without a hitch. Their orders were correct, the food was delicious, and there wasn't a single moment of awkward silence. They stayed there talking and laughing for at least another 45 minutes after Axel paid. He looked out the window and looked concerned. "Uh-oh! Come on, we need to go, it's getting late!"

"What? You know my parents don't care what time I get home, and from what I can tell, yours don't either. What's the rush?" she asked, deeply confused and a little worried.

"Well, there's this place nearby, and it's got a trail and a pond. If you go to a certain spot, you can watch the moonrise, and it's just amazing! I was hoping you and I could even take pictures of it," Axel said, hopefully.

Larxene's eyes lit up. "I'd like that. Let's go!"

* * *

They quickly departed the restaurant and made their way to the special place Axel mentioned. They pulled up in a sort of make-shift gravel lot and settled in a nice spot to prepare for the moonrise. Axel grabbed a second jacket from the trunk and gave it to Larxene in case it got too cold out. They could already see the moon's faint glow from behind the trees. The camera was completely set up on the tripod in such a way that it would capture the moon perfectly. Axel wasted no time in teaching Larxene how to operate the bulky camera. She was kneeling in front of it, while Axel had his arms around her, showing her which part of the camera does what.

Suddenly, Axel realized he'd left his phone in the car, and turned around to get it. "Here, I'll go get my phone, and while I'm doing that, I want you to zoom in about 150%, okay?" He walked toward the car.

"Wait, Axel, the zoom isn't working. Something's wrong," Larxene said.

Axel checked the camera. "Uh-oh. Must've been damaged when it fell out of my bag at school. Or maybe in the car…" Then, they heard a noise behind them. It sounded like a car pulling up on the gravel. "Sorry, Larxene. You don't mind someone else being here, do you?"

"I'm sure it will be fine," she said, giving Axel a reassuring smile. They heard footsteps getting close. _Really_ close.

"Hey," the stranger said.

Larxene and Axel whirled around at the same time too see who was addressing them. He looked like a nice, average guy. Short dark hair, somewhat attractive features. He was dressed in a similar fashion as the young couple; just a shirt and jacket with jeans and running shoes.

"The lake is pretty beautiful tonight, isn't it?" he asked.

"I guess," Larxene shot, glaring at him. Axel instinctively stepped in front of Larxene.

"Uh, listen man, we're kind of on a date, so can you…?"

"Oh, yeah, I get it. No prob," the stranger said coolly. "I was just wondering how far the trail goes. I'm a little lost."

Axel could tell something was wrong. Why does he need to know how far the trail goes if he was lost? He could have simply left and taken the main road back to where he came from.

"Sorry, I don't know anything about that," Axel said, suspiciously. Larxene wouldn't admit it in a thousand years, but she was a little scared.

"Hm… All right, thanks man," said the stranger as he began to walk away. Axel and Larxene turned back around and knelt to the camera, trying to brush off the strange occurrence.

"That was… so strange," Larxene whispered, shuddering. Before Axel could reply, there was a noise behind them.

_Click._

It almost sounded like… _a gun._

* * *

**A/N: Finally, chapter 2! This turned out much longer than expected. It just writes itself, really. It would mean a lot if you would drop a review and let me know what you think of this story. It makes me write faster. Seriously. Chapter 3 coming soon!**


	3. The Attack

Instinctively after Axel and Larxene heard the _click_, the two whirled around to see that there was in fact a gun being pointed at them. And then,

_BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click, click. _No more bullets. Their attacker had fired all six rounds into the bodies of the young couple. Two in Larxene, _four_ in Axel.

Axel laid there, eyes closed and not moving next to Larxene. Larxene was conscious, but trying hard to stay that way. An acidic smell hit her nostrils, and all she could see was smoke in the air. She heard the attacker's footsteps going back in the direction they came, but they quickly returned, as if the assailant had forgotten something. Thinking quickly, Larxene decided she would have to play dead in order to survive. Unfortunately, her eyes were open. If she so much as twitched, she could be killed. She held her breath and prayed he wouldn't notice she was still alive. He stopped by her side, and threw one leg over her. Larxene had to refrain from shuddering at his breath in her face; he was breathing really, _really_ hard.

Then, he put his hands on her hips.

_Oh my God. No. It can't end this way… What a sick bastard… Tell me he isn't gonna—_

Suddenly, she felt his hands were rapidly searching her pockets. All he came up with was three quarters and a nickel. He moved over to Axel and grabbed his keys and wallet from his pockets. Then, he stood up, turned around, and trudged up the hill to the lot. Larxene heard a car start up and drive toward the main road.

_He killed us for some pocket change and Axel's car!? Wait. Axel! _

Larxene mustered up the strength to rise to her knees. She almost collapsed again when she saw his face; it was covered in his blood, along with his entire torso. She brought a shaky hand to his face and attempted to wipe the blood off of his face.

"Axel, please wake up. Please, I need your help," she choked. She realized that, for the first time in a long time, she had started crying. It was so unlike the tough, somewhat frightening Larxene to cry like this. She fell back to the ground, covering her face with her hands and sobbing.

She knew this was the end for them both.

_... No. I can't let Axel die here. Not now, and not like this. And especially not after how nice he was to me when others weren't. _

She got up on her hands and knees and began to crawl. It was then that she realized just how badly her stomach hurt. It was too painful to be a stomach ache; it had to be a bullet wound. She was feeling light-headed, and she was too weak to continue crawling. She had no choice but to drag herself up the hill, through the lot, and up to the main road.

_Why the hell did my phone have to break earlier? I'm pretty sure Axel left his phone in the car. And... why am I sweating so much? _

She stopped to wipe the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand. She looked down at her hand. She wasn't sweating, she was bleeding.

_Oh my God. I've been shot in the _head_!? _

It was true, there was in fact a bullet in her head. Which meant her time was running out.

* * *

Terra and his girlfriend, Aqua, were happily chatting while on the way to a special reservoir they had heard so much about. The plan was simple: drive to the reservoir, settle in a nice spot on the trail by the lake, and spend a romantic evening together. It was going to be perfect.

"You know, Terra," Aqua started. "I really appreciate this; you didn't have to bring me here."

"I know I didn't have to. I did it because I wanted to." Terra smiled at her. He held out his right hand for her to hold while he kept his left hand on the steering wheel. She took it gracefully and sighed in content. "Aqua," he said, slowly. "I was wondering what you were planning for, you know, after we graduate college and everything…"

This caught Aqua by surprise. "Oh, um. I hadn't actually thought about it very much. I guess I would—_Terra, look out!__"_ she yelled. Terra slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a complete stop right in front of the bloodied body of a young woman. "Oh, my gosh," Aqua said, stepping out of the car. Terra stepped out as well, kneeling in front of the girl.

"Miss?" he asked, gently shaking her shoulder. _"__Miss?__"_Her eyes fluttered open as she groaned.

"H-help us," she coughed. "We… We've been sh-shot."

"Oh no," Aqua whispered. "We? Terra, she was with someone! They need help right now!"

"Aqua, get in the car," Terra said sharply. "I'll call for help." He whipped out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. Unfortunately, there was no service. "Of all the times… Aqua, call 9-1-1! I don't have any service." Aqua grabbed her phone and stepped out of the car, holding it up in the air as she dialed 9-1-1 in an attempt to get more bars. But alas, she had no luck in contacting the authorities. The only way for them to get help was for them to drive to a location with service. The wounded girl continued coughing. "Okay, Aqua, we have no choice. We have to leave and find cell phone service, or a payphone."

"But… What about the girl? We can't just leave her here alone!" Aqua protested, for Terra's car only had two seats. "Let me stay with her."

"Aqua, no. She's been attacked, and I can't put you in harm's way as well. We'll call for help and come straight back, I promise," Terra said. He positioned the wounded girl so she wouldn't be run over by anyone else. "I'm so sorry. I'll get help, I promise you," he said to her, sullenly. With that, she drifted out of consciousness, and Terra and Aqua sped off in search of service or a payphone.

* * *

**Dun dun dun! So, yeah. Just a few things- this chapter was originally going to feature Demyx instead of Terra, but I was afraid that would turn readers away. And parts of this story are kind of straying away from the events this was based off of, but whatever. It****'****ll turn out okay. In the end, I****'****ll let you know what this was based off of and you can compare them with my story. **

**Sorry this chapter was only half as long as the previous one. We****'****ll see what the next one has in store. Please review and I****'****ll update sooner! :-)**


	4. Help Arrives

_If I had known I wouldn't have been able to get help, I would have stayed with him until the end. Some date I turned out to be… Axel… He's surely gone by now. I hope he didn't suffer. I hope I don't, either. _

A tear escaped from the corner of Larxene's eye and fell to the pavement.

_Who's gonna tell his mom? She'll be devastated. What about my parents? They'll be upset, right? Either that, or they'll see my death as an inconvenience. When the hell are we going to get some help? It's been long enough! That couple probably just went back to their date like nothing happened. I can't trust anybody… They just left me here! What if that psychopath comes back!? _

Larxene was starting to become drowsy. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but she knew if she let them close, they may never open again.

_I have to stay alive for Axel… Just in case he's still alive… I don't know what I'll do if he isn't._

Suddenly, she heard… _something_ far off in the distance. It was a very shrill, high pitched noise that would disappear, and shortly reappear afterwards. The noise got louder, and she could hear it was a tone going up and down. It was a _siren._ She focused her sight on the road ahead and discovered flashing red and blue lights speeding toward her. Words couldn't describe her elation when she realized help was coming for her and Axel.

The next few moments all happened in a blur. The vehicles slowed down in front of Larxene and several men in uniforms rushed out and hauled her onto a gurney. She would only speak every few moments, and when she did, she would only say, "Help him. _Please help him._" They had been informed that Larxene mentioned another person, but there was no "him" in sight. They lifted her in to the vehicle and rushed her to the hospital.

The policemen arrived just a moment after the ambulance had and were already investigating the scene.

"Well," a large, bearded man began. "I'd say she wasn't attacked here. Not enough blood."

"So, what, you think she actually dragged herself up here? By the looks of it, she was in no condition to actually climb uphill!" said the skinnier, dark skinned man next to him.

"Cortez, part of being a man of the law is thinking outside the box. Now let's go check this out," said the large man.

"Whatever you say, Ross," Cortez said as they trudged down the slope.

After further inspection with their flashlights, the pair discovered an almost never-ending trail of blood leading further into the darkness.

"Wow, so she really _did_ climb all that way," Cortez muttered.

"You'd be surprised how far a human will go when they have a little motivation," said Ross as they followed the trail.

"What do you suppose that motivation was…?"

"My guess?" They stopped walking. "Probably _that._" Ross pointed at the motionless body of a tall, slender man with fiery red hair. He whipped out his radio transceiver and called for back-up.

"My God," said Cortez, in shock. He rushed up to the body and pressed his fingers to the bloodied man's neck to check for a pulse.

* * *

When Larxene opened her eyes, she couldn't feel _anything_. She could only see undecorated, stark-white walls, and a window bearing plain white curtains.

_Where am I? How did I get here?_

Then, she saw a tall, built man in a suit walk into the room and sit in the chair by her bed. He gave her a warm smile and said, "Hello, I'm Detective Stephen Zale. I'm here to ask you a few questions, okay? Now, can you tell me your name?"

"I'm… I… What are you doing here? What do you want?" Larxene said, almost shaking.

"Please, just tell me if you can remember your name. I'm trying to help you," Detective Zale said.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she said, "…Larxene. I'm Larxene, and… and… _Axel! _ Where is he!? What's happened to him? Is he okay!?"

"Good, Larxene, good. Can you remember anything about how you got hurt?" he said, completely ignoring Larxene's questions about Axel.

"_Tell me what happened to Axel! I want to know now!_" Larxene yelled. She looked ready to jump out of the bed and grab the detective by the throat.

"Larxene," he said. "I know this must be difficult for you right now. But if you tell me what you know, we may catch the person who did this to you. Please, cooperate."

Larxene was visibly seething, but she knew that yelling at the detective wouldn't bring her any closer to finding out if Axel was okay or… not…

"Fine… I remember that we were just sitting there, about to take a picture, I think. And then, this guy pulls up in his car and starts talking to us… I don't remember much after that, besides being shot… Oh, he also took our money and he stole Axel's car for some reason… I think the creep's car is still there. Will you _please_ tell me where Axel is?" Larxene told the detective.

He scribbled some things into an old notebook and asked, "Do you remember what he looked like?" Larxene rolled her eyes.

"I dunno… He seemed pretty normal for the most part. He wasn't too bad looking, and he had curly dark hair, I think. It was kinda short… He didn't have a beard or anything like that." Larxene shuddered as she remembered his face just inches from hers, fearing she was going to be further assaulted. "His eyes were brown, I know that for sure."

"Good, Larxene. Can you remember what he was wearing?" he asked, not looking up from his notebook.

"No," she said, curtly. _I am so done with this… Why won't he just tell me if Axel's okay?_

"That's all right," he said. "We can work with this, especially if he's still in Axel's car. Thank you, Larxene."

"Okay, I answered your stupid questions. Now will you tell me where Axel is?" Larxene asked, angrily.

"Well—" he started, only to be cut off.

"Larxene!" came two voices from the doorway, a man's and a woman's.

"M-Mom? Dad?" Larxene asked, shakily.

Her mother brushed her brunette curls out of her face and rushed to Larxene's side to take her hand. Her father came to her side as well, doing nothing but standing by her with tears in his eyes.

"I'll just leave you three alone," said the detective. Larxene made to sit up and yell at him, but he was already gone.

"Larxene, I'm so glad you're all right!" her mother sobbed.

"You… You really mean that?" Larxene asked, hesitantly. She couldn't remembered the last time either of her parents had shown any sort of compassion toward her.

"Of course we do," her father said, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

"Mom, Dad… Do you know if Axel is okay or not?" asked Larxene, a little sick of not getting an answer from anyone.

"No, I don't know anything about that," her mother said. "We were only told that you were in the hospital, so we came here as soon as we could!"

Larxene sighed and closed her eyes. "I… I think I'm just gonna catch up on my sleep," she said, sadly.

"We'll be right here when you wake up," her father said, and Larxene drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, long time no update. So Terra and Aqua really did save the day! We'll possibly see them in the next chapter, but they aren't that important in this story, so… yeah, whatever. Sorry this took so long. School and cello are really messing with my schedule, but I'm on a 4-day weekend, so hooray! **

**So, wanna find out what happened to Axel? THEN REVIEW. THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT. :) See you when I feel like updating.**


	5. The News

"_Larxene, have I ever told you how beautiful I think you are? Just somethin' I thought I'd get out there," Axel said softly, brushing a lock of Larxene's hair behind her ear. She could feel her cheeks flush at the compliment. No one ever said such considerate things to her. The two were sitting in the middle of his living room in front of their opened textbooks, studying together like they always did. However, this time, the setting was more… romantic. Axel referred to it as a study date. _

"_Yes, Axel, about a thousand times," she replied, giggling. "But, that doesn't mean I don't like to hear it."_

_Axel smiled warmly as his lips inched closer to hers, and—_

* * *

Larxene's eyes snapped open as she was wrenched from her blissful dreams by a blood-curdling screech from down the hall. Her parents, Pamela and Virgil, were also awakened and they moved from their chairs to see what the commotion was.

"Mom? Dad? What's going on?" Larxene asked once she remembered where she was and why she was there. Virgil opened the door and peered around the doorframe only to gasp in shock. Pamela rushed out of the door and she couldn't believe what she saw: a middle-aged, ginger-haired woman slumped against the wall on the floor, sobbing loudly into her hands.

"Oh, no," Pamela said. "It's Lilith. It's Axel's mother."

…What?

Larxene could have sworn that in that moment, her heart stopped beating. All of her pain, inside and outside, intensified ten-fold. Then, she could hear Lilith _saying something_. As her cries got louder, Larxene was able to interpret what she was saying.

"_Let me see him! Let me see my son! I want to see him! Please!"_

Larxene could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and she held her head in her hands in an effort to make the world stop spinning. Her heart ached for Axel, for his mother, for herself. She could no longer hear his mother's pleading, but she was still sobbing loudly.

"I'm going to go talk to her," Pamela stated, hesitantly. She took slow, yet steady steps down the hall until she reached the crumpled body of a broken woman. She knelt in front of Lilith and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"Lilith…?" she spoke softly to keep Lilith as calm as possible, however she was still heavily sobbing. "Lilith, what's… what's happened to Axel?"

Lilith willed her solid emerald orbs to meet Pamela's gray ones. Lilith's eyes were red and swollen, and flooded with tears. She was trying to tell Pamela, but nothing could keep her from choking on her words. Finally, she was able to string a few words together.

"I… Axel… He's… He's not… Oh God!" She began to sob once more. Pamela was speechless. She rapidly racked her brain to think of something to say, when suddenly a voice startled her out of her reverie.

"Is Axel alive, or not?"

Pamela and Lilith looked up to see that the owner of the voice was none other than Larxene. She was leaning heavily against the wall and she had a pained look on her face. "Well? Tell me. Now. I'm sorry, but I'm sick of the waiting!" Her voice remained calm, despite the rise in volume. She felt guilty for being so painfully direct with Lilith, but if she wanted answers, she couldn't beat around the bush.

Lilith stared at Larxene in disbelief for what seemed like an eternity before uttering a single word:

"…Barely," she rasped, her voice cracking. Larxene released the pressure from her weakening legs and slid to the ground with the other two women. After a few moments, Lilith continued.

"The… The doctors say… they don't think… h-he's g-going t-to… m-m-make it. Th-they're operating on h-him n-now, and… and… th-they won't l-let me see him… Th-they won't let me see my only s-s-son!"

After that, no one said anything for a long time, save for Virgil, who was talking to the doctor about Axel's condition. As soon as Lilith saw that tears were streaming down Larxene's face, she took Larxene's hand in hers and said, "Larxene… I can't tell you how much joy it brings me to see you here, healing and well. And I am so glad that Axel was with someone he loves so much."

Larxene could hardly speak. "…W-what?" she sputtered in disbelief.

Lilith smiled slightly. "You should have heard the way he talked about you. I remember the day he came home from school last year, going on and on about how beautiful you were. You… You two weren't together at the time, but… he truly felt that you may have been _the one._"

Larxene attempted to wipe all of her tears, but it was all for naught. "You mean… he wants to… marry me someday?" she asked, her voice coming out in a broken whisper.

"I'm sure of it. Now it's just… I don't know that I'll ever get to see that day," Lilith choked.

"Don't say that!" Larxene demanded, but it came out sounding more like a plea. She gathered her strength, stood up, and stumbled to the doctor and her father. Leaning on her dad's arm for support, she gave the doctor a steely glare. "Tell me. How long is Axel gonna be in there? He's going to make it. I know he is."

The doctor cleared his throat. "Well, the surgeons are trying their hardest to save him, but Miss… He's lost a _lot _of blood… It really doesn't look good, and—"

"_Don't say that!_" Larxene yelled, her head dizzying a little bit. The medication was having a serious effect on her.

"Larxene, you should go back to bed. You don't look well. Come on," Virgil said, dragging a woozy Larxene back to her room.

Once Larxene was settled in her bed again, she said, "Dad… The doctor… What did he tell you? Is there _any_ hope for him?"

Virgil thought hard on that for a moment before sitting on the bed. "Larxene," he started, taking her hands in his. "I'm going to be honest with you. Axel… He isn't doing well. He's lost so much blood. It's very likely that help may have just come too late for him."

Tears once again flooded Larxene's eyes, and she couldn't hold them back. She didn't say anything; she only let the tears fall. Her father wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, Larxene."

She couldn't help but think about how this was probably the most time she'd ever spent with her parents in one night. They were both constantly absorbed in their work. For once, she felt like they truly cared, and that Axel was no longer the only one who thought she mattered.

_Axel…_

_This is all my fault… If only I'd been quicker… If only I'd pushed you out of the way… If only… If only I told you I loved you, too…_

"Larxene," Virgil whispered. "Your mother and I have to go home for the night. I promise we'll be back first thing in the morning. Why don't you get some sleep?"

Larxene said nothing. She only nodded and waited for him to leave the room. Once Virgil left and her mother kissed her good-bye, Larxene closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Her face held a peaceful smile, for she was dreaming of her future with Axel, in a world where things had gone differently.

* * *

**A/N: 'Eyyy, sorry this took so long! I've had school and stuff... And since I'm in Kentucky for a wedding, I decided to use my down time writing this in the hotel. I wish I could have made the chapter longer, but... Yeah, whatever. Read, review, you know the drill! :) Peace.**


	6. Memory Lane

The next two days were hellish for Larxene, to say the least. The constant uncertainty ofAxel's fate was tearing at her very soul. She could say without any doubt, this had been the absolute worst week she had ever endured. On top of that, physical therapy was a complete nightmare. She didn't know how much more she could stand. Thankfully, tomorrow she would be permitted to go home. Granted, she would still have to come back to the physical therapy center, but a night in her own bed was exactly what she needed. She would be reluctant to leave however, until she could see Axel alive and well.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Slowly and steadily, Larxene stood and walked to answer the door. It was Axel's doctor.

"Hello, Larxene," he said, softly. "I would like to talk to you about Axel."

* * *

_"H-Hi. Do you want any help with your books? They look kinda… big."_

_"Why would you wanna help me? I don't even know who you are."_

_"I'm Axel! Got it memorized? I heard we have the same fifth grade teacher, and seeing as you're new and all, I thought I'd be nice and help you out. So… um… Can I help ya?"_

_"Well… I guess… But don't think this makes us friends or anything, Axel!"_

_"Whatever you say, Larxene!"_

"Axel? Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay, Doctor."

* * *

_"I. Hate. Geometry."_

_"Tell me about it, Larx. I almost have a D in there. If I have to go to summer school, I might as well just change my identity and live in a cave for the rest of my life."_

_"Oh? And why's that?"_

_"Because if my mom finds out, the cops will never find my body."_

_"Well, I have a low B in there. Maybe you should come over a couple times a week, and, I dunno, let me tutor you or something…"_

* * *

"Well, as you know, we performed surgery on him just the other day, and I'm sorry we haven't been able to give you any information about him until now. We were so uncertain of what would happen that we just couldn't afford to tell anyone what we knew."

* * *

_"Come on, Larx, don't cry. That guy's a jerk. You deserve way better than him."_

_"I-I know… I just can't believe he would do something like this… Damn it. I hategetting upset in front of people like this."_

_"No, Larxene, come here… Just know that no matter what, I'll always be here for you."_

* * *

This wasn't sounding good. Tears were beginning to well up in Larxene's eyes as she said,

"Please just get on with it, Doctor!"

"Larxene, you must remain calm. I know this must be hard for you."

"Of course it's hard for me; you won't even tell me if the man I love is going to be okay!" Her voice was rising now, but the doctor's visage did not change. At this point, Larxene was just waiting for the doctor to tell her she would never see Axel again and that she needed to move on with her life.

"Larxene," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "I just wanted to tell you-"

"Tell me what?"

"That the surgery was a success."

Larxene couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Wh-what...?" she uttered.

The doctor cracked a smile. "You will be permitted to see him withing the hour."

Larxene was at a loss for words. She simply nodded her head and waited for the doctor to leave before falling back into the nearest chair. For a few moments, she sat in silence, before she held her face in her hands and cried. She was thankful her parents had long-since returned home, so they wouldn't see her like this. She hated showing weakness, and she seemed to be showing a lot of it lately. But at that moment, none of that mattered. Axel was okay, and she would get to see him soon.

What would she say? "Oh, sorry our date was ruined and we almost died." No. There was almost nothing to say at all. Maybe she would know what to say when the time came. For the time being, she decided she would get a little shut-eye before she could visit Axel.

* * *

_"Hey, Larxene..." Axel whispered. The two were in his home watching TV, and falling asleep on the couch. Larxene's head was resting comfortably on Axel's shoulder._

_"Hm?" she replied, not bothering to open her eyes._

_"I'm just... I'm just really glad we're best friends."_

_Larxene was surprised by this, though she was too tired to visibly show it. "Mm... So am I." She smiled to herself as they both drifted off to sleep._

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock._

Larxene's eyes shot wide open, and she threw herself out of bed, despite the pain it caused her. She trotted over to the door and opened it, her eyes meeting with Axel's doctor's.

"Hello again. You are permitted to see Axel, now. Let me remind you that he is very tired and fragile. His mother is in there as well. I'll escort you to his room, but first, might you let me change the bandages on your head?"

Larxene turned to look into the mirror on the wall, only to see the gnarly condition of her bandages. "Oh... All right. Thank you, Doctor."

* * *

"Right through here, ma'am," the doctor said softly, opening the door to Axel's room for Larxene.

The first thing Larxene saw was Lilith, as she was sitting in front of Axel, blocking Larxene's view of him. "Th-thank you, Doctor," Larxene uttered, dismissing him.

"Oh, Larxene," Lilith said, turning to face Larxene. "I'm so glad you've come to see Axel." She stood. "I'll just leave you two alone, for a few moments," she said, a warm smile on her face.

"Oh... Thank you, Lilith," Larxene replied. Now, she had a full view of Axel. He was sitting up, laying back on the mattress which in a bent shape, positioned accordingly. His face was far paler than usual, and he almost looked like a corpse. Larxene hesitantly walked to the chair by his bed, sat down, and gently grabbed his hand. "Axel," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "I'm so, so sorry..."

Axel's eyes slowly flickered open, and he turned his head to look down at her. "Larxene," he croaked, his voice weak and hoarse. "Larxene, I thought I'd never see you again!"

Larxene's eyes snapped up to meet his, and she immediately stood up to meet his level. Axel could tell she was trying to say something, but she was at a loss for words. He slowly reached a shaky hand up to her cheek, and just looked into her eyes. She placed her hand on top of his, and unwillingly let a tear escape her eye. "A-Axel... Axel, I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't want this to happen!"

"Hey, hey... What're you crying for?" Axel smiled. "Everything's okay now. The doc said no permanent damage, and we can still be together... If you still want to, that is."

Larxene smiled a little and said, "Why wouldn't I want to be with the person I love?"

Axel couldn't believe what he was hearing. "...You love me?"

Larxene nodded. Slowly, Axel mustered up the strength to pull her in close and hold her. "Love you too, Larx. And... Thank you. For saving my life."

* * *

**A/N: Yay, an update! So sorry for the long wait. I would name all the excuses, but ain't nobody got time fo' dat. One more chapter to go, people. Stay with me! Anyway, it's 1:44 AM where I am, so YOU'RE WELCOME. Oh, and uh... Good night.**


	7. Detective Work

**_A/N: Yeah. I'm sorry. I got caught up in a whole bunch of stuff, as well as laziness. I could go on a rant about all that happened while I was away, but then I would sound like a raging attention whore. No thanks. But part of it was that I got into ff7, and KH just didn't appeal to me, let alone writing about it. Yesterday, though, I got back into it and I want to get this story out of the way. Remind me I should stick to oneshots._**

**_PS: remember how I said one more chapter? I lied. It might be this one, another, then possibly an epilogue or something._**

"Axel, Larxene, it's nice to meet you. I'm Detective Raney and I will be handling your case." He took Axel's hand in his much larger one and shook it. As he shook Larxene's hand he said, "Now, first I would like you to tell me everything about what happened that night. I realize this may be difficult for you to relive the events of that night, but we need to know everything in order to catch him."

Reluctantly, the pair nodded in agreement. Axel shifted uncomfortably; he was still nauseas from having to sit up, but he was thankful that the detective and Larxene had come to his room, rather than having to get out of bed. That was impossible, as it had only been nearly a week since the surgery. Despite his condition, the doctors said he was recovering at a remarkably fast pace. The fact that he was still alive was a miracle in itself, and he was sure to count his lucky stars.

From the chair next to him, Larxene said, "I guess I can do that... As long as that prick gets the chair." The last sentence was nearly a snarl, and it caused Detective Raney to chuckle.

"Considering his crime, he can't actually get the death penalty, but I can assure you, he will receive a lengthy sentence. Now, which of you would like to start?"

"I guess I'll go first," Axel said. "I don't have all that much to tell you, so it'll be short and sweet. Well, not sweet, but whatever." A slight smirk tugged at his lips.

"Whenever you're ready," Raney said, retrieving a small pad and pen from his suit jacket.

Axel let out a shaky breath, and he almost didn't notice that Larxene had taken ahold of his hand. Almost. "Well... Larxene and I were just heading to this lot after dinner so we could snap some pics of the moonrise. It was going pretty well when- _oh shit!_ Where's my camera!?"

"Don't worry," said Raney. "We have it, and we'll return it to you later once it's cleared. We've taken it as evidence."

"Oh, joy," Axel muttered. "Anyway, it was going pretty well, when all of a sudden this dude just shows up."

"Can you tell me what he looked like?"

"Um... No. He seemed pretty average, I guess."

"I can," Larxene said, finally. This caught Axel's attention.

What did he do to her? he thought.

"Like Axel said," she began, "he was nothing short of average. He was wearing pretty normal clothes. He has short, kinda wavy dark hair." She retracted her hand from Axel's and began wringing hers in her lap.

"Did he get close enough to you so that you could see his eye color?" Raney inquired.

"...Brown."

"Okay, hold on!" Axel interrupted. Larxene turned to him, albeit reluctantly. "Why was he so close to you?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"How about this?" Detective Raney said. "Axel, why don't you tell me everything that happened up until you... became incapacitated. Then, Larxene can tell us everything from there. Then, you and I both will have our answers."

Axel huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine..."

"Well, go ahead," Raney urged.

"Let's see, where did I leave off? Oh yeah. So this asshole shows up and he tries to start talking to us for some reason. Made up some bullshit about how he got lost and needed directions or something. I don't remember exactly what he said too well. He was really creeping us out, and he started to walk away. We turned around, and..." Axel shivered. "I don't remember anything else."

"That's very good, thank you Axel. Larxene?" Raney turned his attention to her, and to Axel's surprise, she appeared to be having trouble gathering herself.

"Are you okay?" Axel asked carefully.

"Yes," she said, swallowing. "I'm ready. After the guy walked away, we turned around, and then I heard this clicking noise. It sounded like a gun, and obviously, it was. We turned around and he... he fired several rounds into both of us... Axel went down without a sound..." Her gaze was fixed on the far wall. It was as if her mind was anywhere else but in that hospital room, and she had no control over what she was doing. She was watching herself relay the tale, disconnected from her body. "I was on the ground, and I could hear him coming closer, so I decided to play dead. I remember this awful smell, and there was smoke everywhere. I had to keep my eyes open and hold my breath so he wouldn't try to finish me off... He came over to me and... he swung a leg over me. He put his hands on my hips and-"

"_WHAT?!_" Axel was visibly seething. "I swear to God, if he-"

"He didn't, Axel. I thought he was going to, and I almost lost control. But, he just searched my pockets." Axel visibly calmed down. "After that, he got up and searched your pockets, too. He grabbed your wallet and your keys and took off with your car."

"What the- Aw, man! That bastard took my car!?" Axel's calm demeanor vanished as soon as it had appeared.

"Well, yeah," Larxene said sheepishly.

"Wait, Axel, do you know your car's license plate number?" Raney asked, seeming eager.

"I think so, why?"

"Tell me, and give me a description of the car. This can help immensely in the search for your attacker." Axel did as he was told, and Raney took note of the plate and description. "Excellent. Please continue, Larxene."

"Okay... I tried to wake Axel up. I thought he was dead, honestly. He wasn't moving, and I knew I couldn't just sit there, or we would both die. I... I started to climb up to the main road in hopes of getting some help. It was then that I realized I had been shot in the head, as well as the stomach. I wanted to give up right then in there, thinking there was no way I could survive a bullet to the head. For some reason, though, I decided to keep moving. I got to the main road, and then some time after, a couple pulled up and left to call for help. I don't remember much after that..."

"You've been a big help, you two. Thank you very much. I'm going to head back downtown, and we're going to take this guy off the streets as soon as possible," said the detective. With that, he nodded and left the room.

Silence.

"...Larxene..."

She didn't answer him.

"Larxene?" Finally, she turned to look at him. Tears had risen in her eyes, but she was clearly holding them back to keep up her image. "Are you okay?"

She turned her gaze to her lap. It was clear that recalling the events of that night was taking a toll on her. "What if they don't catch him? I'll never stop blaming myself... This is my fault anyway."

"What? Larxene, what are you talking about? None of this is your fault."

She went on as if she hadn't heard him. "I shouldn't have broken my phone. I should have moved faster. I should have-" her mumbling was cut short by Axel's hand on her shoulder. He had to stretch his arm slightly, but he removed it once he had her attention.

"Come here," he said, shifting on the bed so there would be room for her. She looked at him quizzically, but she carefully took her place on the bed, the two of them sitting with their backs propped up against the pillows.

Axel put an arm around her and they locked gazes. "Don't you blame yourself for this, ever. It's not your fault that some bastard with nothing to do decided to just shoot up two kids on an awesome date." This won a weak smile from Larxene.

"It was pretty great wasn't it? Well, aside from getting shot. That was pretty shitty." At that, Axel laughed out loud. Then suddenly he gripped his chest in agony. He inhaled sharply and went pale.

"Axel!? Are you okay!?" Larxene asked frantically.

Axel attempted a smile for her. "I'm fine, it just... hurts a little," he managed. He began to relax, as did Larxene. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and soon the couple was fast asleep.

* * *

Exactly one week after relaying the events of that fateful night to Detective Raney, Larxene received a phone call. Her parents bought her a new cell phone and they were nice enough to bring it to her. She often used it to text Axel during physical therapy (he had been issued a new cell phone as well, seeing as his old one was in his stolen car).

"Hello?" she answered.

_"Larxene? This is Detective Raney. We found Axel's car."_

"Really? Did you catch the guy?"

_"Erm..._" He cleared his throat. _"You could say that."_

"What do you mean?"

_"Well... He's dead."_

_**A/N: Yeah, I'll end the chapter here. I'll start writing the new one right now so I don't end up with such a long period between updates. Thanks, leave a review!**_


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